Yikes Grant,

Worst cast scenario, I'm pretty sure that one of the two reef stores in Kelowna will have some type of silicone.

Have you located that exact spot that it's leaking?

It's more the fact the repairing a tank is a pain and takes time to do properly. If you had a smaller, standard-sized tank, it is usually easier to just spend the extra bit of money and buy a different tank.

A tank leak can cause significantly more damage than what the tank is worth. Tanks usually leak a reason other than one particular defective seam meaning if you repair one leak another could potentially form somewhere else shortly after. Repairs are also difficult and sometimes not possible, just running another bead over the existing one will likely offer a temporary fix.

So depending on the size, value and age of the tank, more often than not it's a better move to replace the tank completely.

Mark:

It is a small leak and of course at the bottom of the tank not the top.

I picked up a tube of Home Hardware brand (aqaurium safe) as mentioned in the previous link.

Yeah, I am more concerned about water damage than condition of the tank and inhabitants. it just happened that my wife was home today. What if this happens when we are both at work or on holiday? Pity the poor tank sitter.

grant

absolutely, all the seams are gonna be the same age so if one leaked another is probably on the way. the cost of a flood is way more then the tank and the loss of livestock is another bad hit, you were lucky this time it was a leak next time could be a full blown blowout,i would look at this as a good time to upgrade:)

make a temporary fix but id look into replacing the tank, i know its an aio so hard and a bit expensive to upgrade but its something i would do fopr sure, plus it would bring some life back into the hobby for you starting over a new tank:) does for me anyways:P

I will have to consider that. I have certainly learned a lot over the past 4 years and may have not gone the AIO tank if I was to start over. Either new tank or getting out of the hobby entirely.
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But back to the repairs: Cut out the offending silicone or apply fresh silicone over it?

If I have to drain the entire set of rear chambers I will apply silicone over the entire old silicone while I am at it.

Silicone doesn't stick to silicone...at least I've never had any luck with that. I would say some removal will be required.

Thanks Mark.

Update: I have drained the rear chambers of water (I new i was saving all of those salt buckets for reason). I discovered the pin hole leak originated at a thin portion of silicone, sort of a dimple where two beads of silicone did not fully meet.

This chamber also held live rock which could have pressed against this dimple and over the span of 4 years finally poked through. That's my current theory anyway. The rest of the bead along that joint seems good (by feel).

So I am thinking that this may not be entirely a failure of the silicone but may have been a very slow mechanical failure?

Is 4 years too early for a silicone failure?

Thoughts?